Scores even between West Indies and India as 3rd test ends in draw

Posted by Yardie Luke on November 26, 2011 under Jamaica Sports | Be the First to Comment

Spinners Pragyan Ojha and Ravichandran Ashwin engineered a dramatic West Indies collapse on Saturday to give India’s batsmen a fighting chance as the third test ended in a thrilling draw with a last-ball runout.

Chasing 243 to win in a minimum of 64 overs, India finished one run short with one wicket left at 242-9. India had to be satisifed with a 2-0 series victory after winning the opening two tests comfortably.

It was only the second ever test to end in a draw with the scores level and where one team was chasing victory — the previous one was between England and Zimbabwe at Bulawayo in 1996. Continue

Yohan Blake ran record time of 19.26s in 200m

Posted by Yardie Luke on September 16, 2011 under Jamaica Sports | Comments are off for this article

Usain Bolt broke Michael Johnson’s 200m world record in Berlin in 2009. Bolt ran a blistering 19.19s at the World Championship in Germany.

Bolt training partner Yohan Blake ran the second best time in the 200m with an impressive 19.26s at the Diamond League finale in Brussels.

After slow start Asafa Powell runs 9.91 sec in 100 m

Posted by Yardie Luke on July 10, 2011 under Jamaica Sports | Comments are off for this article

BIRMINGHAM, England — Asafa Powell overcame a tentative start to win the 100 meters in 9.91 seconds at the Aviva Grand Prix Diamond League meet Sunday, adding to his confidence going into the world championships next month.

He was delayed by a false start and then a faulty start before striding to victory ahead of fellow Jamaicans Nesta Carter and Michael Frater.

The 28-year-old Powell said in the buildup to the meet that he felt like the “man to beat.” Though fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt is the world champion and world-record holder, Powell is the quickest man this year after running 9.78 in Lausanne 10 days ago.

“I was only going to do enough to win today,” Powell said. “I didn’t want to push too hard. I just wanted to get the win. At the worlds, I’m definitely going to win. I’m going for it and I’ll try not to disappoint.”

Powell has set his sights on dethroning Bolt at the worlds in Daegu, South Korea, beginning Aug. 27.

After a 9.95 in the heats, his 70th sub-10-second run, Powell was expected to better that in the final — especially as the earlier rain had cleared up and gave way to slightly improved conditions. But after Jaysuma Saidy Ndure of Norway false-started and was disqualified, there was then another abandoned start before Powell could finally get going.

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Asafa Powell sprints season-best 9.78 sec

Posted by Yardie Luke on June 30, 2011 under Jamaica Sports | Comments are off for this article

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Asafa Powell ran the fastest 100 meters in the world this year on Thursday, winning in 9.78 seconds at the Athletissima track meet.

Powell’s sprint was 0.01 faster than Tyson Gay of the United States, who turned in his time on June 4 in Florida. Powell’s time was aided by a tail wind.

“It was a fantastic race. I was very confident actually that I was going to run good,” the 28-year-old Powell said.

World record-holder Usain Bolt had a season best 9.91, set at the Rome Diamond League meet last month where Powell — the world record-holder from 2005-08 — was second. Powell’s previous best this season was 9.90 at the Jamaica championships last weekend.

The world championships in Daegu, South Korea, are two months away, and Powell hopes to get even better.

He said the race was “not really a message to anybody — it’s just for me,” but Powell will be looking to defeat Bolt, who broke Powell’s world mark in his breakthrough 2008 season.

Smiling broadly, Powell said he’s reaching his best form “slowly but surely.”

“It will get better and better as the season goes on,” he said. “9.6 is in my range.”

Bolt’s record is 9.58.

Jamaican teammate Michael Frater was second with a personal best time of 9.88. Christophe Lemaitre of France was third in 9.95.

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More than 1 million requests to see Bolt run

Posted by Yardie Luke on May 22, 2011 under Jamaica Sports | Comments are off for this article

LONDON 2012 chiefs have received more than one MILLION requests for tickets for the Olympic men’s 100 metres final.

The session, with Usain Bolt hoping to defend his title at the Olympic Stadium on Sunday August 5 next year, is one of the most sought after of the London Games.

As SunSport revealed, Bolt is unlikely to run in this country before London 2012 because of draconian tax laws.

He has opted to snub this summer’s Grand Prix at Crystal Palace where fans who miss out on Olympic tickets would have had the chance to see him in action.

Only 40,000 seats are available for each session at the Olympic Stadium after the capacity was halved through sponsors, VIPs and the media.

Applicants will find out by June 24 whether they have got any of the total 6.6 million Olympics tickets available.

Some 1.8 million people applied, with a total of 20 million ticket applications.

Such was the level of demand for the 100m final in the recent ballot for tickets that the Olympic Stadium in east London could have been sold out more than 20 times over.

The price of Olympic tickets ranges from £20 to £725 for the showpiece 100 metres final, and reaches £2,012 for the opening ceremony on 27 July.

Read more here.

Gibson Relays starts today on newly laid track

Posted by Yardie Luke on March 12, 2011 under Jamaica Sports | Comments are off for this article

Raymond Graham, Gleaner Writer

Track and field excitement is expected to reach fever-pitch as leading contenders battle for honours at the 35th staging of the Gibson Relays, one of the premier athletics events at the newly laid National Stadium track, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

With the meet being held at this time of the season, some top-class performances are expected as athletes should be in the later stages of their preparation, especially those among the high schools as they would have reached near peak level for the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) Boys and Girls’ Championships, which will be run in almost two weeks.

There will be competition for all levels as outside of the popular high school events, there will be action among primary, prep, clubs and institutions in both relay and individual events. All finals are expected to begin at 4 p.m., with the final event, the high school boys’ 4×400-metre final, set to close the programme at 8:48 p.m.

Besides locals, there will be overseas competition from the region and as far as Great Britain, as a contingent of over 32 students from Birmingham, England, are down to compete in both individual and relay events.

Birmingham will host the Jamaica team camp ahead of next year’s Olympic Games in London, and Gibson Relays organiser and president of the North America, Central America and Caribbean (NACAC) region, Neville ‘Teddy’ McCook, believes the involvement of the Birmingham delegation underlines the strong relations between both countries.

The meet will include eight Championship events, for which the prizes will be commemorative Gibson Relay watches to members of the winning teams.

The Championship events are the high school boys and girls 4×100 metres, 4×100 metres institution men, 4×800 metres high school open male and female, along with the 4×400 metres institution men and high school male and female.

Top high school female teams Holmwood Technical and Edwin Allen, along Vere Technical, while Kingston College (KC), Calabar High, Jamaica College (JC), Munro College, St Jago and Wolmer’s Boys are the leading boys teams.

Hotly contested

All Championship events are expected to be hotly contested, with the high school male and female 4×400 metres setting the stage in what is expected to be a thriller. Among the girls, the rejuvenated Vere Technical team will be hoping to get back to the top with their quartet of Shericka Jackson, Yanique McNeil, Olivia James and Chantal Duncan set to engage Holmwood and Edwin Allen in a fierce battle. All three have shown dominance in the event so far this season.

Among the boys, preseason favourites Munro College suffered a setback with injury to a key member of their team, now opening the way for a battle among themselves, St Jago High, St Elizabeth Technical and KC, who are the slight favourites.

St Elizabeth Technical and Munro are expected to continue their showdown in the boys’ 4×100 metres Class One Championship event, as both had a close finish at the Western Relays, where the former prevailed by a whisker, winning in a record 40.12 seconds ahead of their rivals in 40. 14. Munro could turn the table this time around as their top man, Delano Williams, is bang in form following his record runs in the 100 and 200 metres a week ago at the Western Boys Championships in Montego Bay.

It is difficult to predict the winner of the girls’ Class One 4×100 Championship event, but it will come down to Holmwood, Edwin Allen and Herbert Morrison High.

Edwin Allen look set to take the girls’ 4×800, while JC are favourites for the boys’ equivalent.

Both Racers Track Club and MVP with their array of national senior representatives are expected to fight out the finish in both the 4×100 metres institution and clubs male 4×100 and 4×400 metres events.

Both clubs are expected to field most of their top athletes, with Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt being the only absentees.

  • Events schedule

9:30 a.m: 4×400 High School Boys Open

10:06 a.m: 4×400 Institution Men

10:30 a.m: 4×400 High School Girls Open

10:58 a.m: 4×400 Institution Women

11:12 a.m: 4×100 High School Boys Class 1V

11:18 a.m: 4×100 High School Boys Class 111

11:30 a.m: Long Jump Men

11:30 a.m: High Jump Women

11:36 a.m: 4×100 High School Boys Class 11

11:54 a.m: 4×100 High School Boys Class 1

12:18 p.m: 4×100 institution Men

12:30 p.m: 4×100 Institution Women

12:36 p.m: 4×100 All Age & Junior High Boys

12:45 p.m: 4×100 All Age & Junior High Girls

12:55 p.m: 4×100 High School Girls Under 19

1:00 p.m: 4×100 High School Girls Under 17

1:12 p.m: 4×100 High School Girls Under 15

1:20 p.m: Pole Vault

1:30 p.m: 4×100 High School Girls Under 13

1:45 p.m: 4×200 High School Boys Class 1V

1:53 p.m: 4×200 High School Boys Class 111

2:20 p.m: 4×200 High School Boys Class 11

2:30 p.m: 4×200 High School Boys Class 1

2:40 p.m: High Jump Men

2:50 p.m: 4×200 High School Girls Open

3:10p.m: 4×200 All Age & Junior High

3:24 p.m: 4×200 All Age & Junior High

3:40 p.m. NATIONAL ANTHEM

INVOCATION

PRESENTATIONS

FINALS

4:00 p.m: 100M Hurdles Women Open

4:10 p.m: 110 M Hurdles Men Open

4:15 p.m: Lucozade Sports One Mile Men Open

4:23 p.m: Lucozade Sports One Mile Women Open

4:31 p.m: 4×60 Prep School Boys Shuttle Under 10

4:40 p.m: 4×60 Primary School Boys Shuttle Under 10

4:45 p.m: 4×100 Primary School Boys Under 12

4:51 p.m: 4×100 Prep School Boys Under 12

4:59 p.m: 4×100 Prep School Girls Under 12

5:03 p.m: 4×100 Primary School GirlsUnder 12

5:09 p.m: 4×100 High School Boys Class Championship

5:15 p.m: 4×100 High School Boys Class 11

5:21 p.m: 4×100 High School Boys Class 111

5:27 p.m: 4×100 High School Boys Class 1V

5:33 p.m: 4×100 Institution Men Championship

5:39 p.m: 4×100 Institution Women

5:45 p.m: 4×100 High School Girls Under 19 Championship

5:51 p.m: 4×100 High School Girls Under 17

5:57 p.m: 4×100 High School Girls Under 15

6:03 p.m: 4×100 High School Girls Under 13

6:09 p.m: 4×100 All Age & Junior High Boys

6:15 p.m: 4×100 All Age & Junior High Girls

6:21 p.m: Sprint Medley Clubs & Institution Men

6:25 p.m: 4×100 Masters Men

6:31 p.m: 4×100 Special Olympics Men

6:40 p.m : 4×800 High School Boys Open Championships

6:57 p.m: 4×800 High School Girls Open Championships

7:10 p.m: 100M Women

7:15 p.m: 100M Men “A”

7:20 p.m: 100M Men “B”

7:25 p.m: 400M Women

7:30 p.m: 400M Women

7:36 p.m: 4×200 High School Girls Open

7:42 p.m: 4×200 High School Boys Class 1

7:48 p.m: 4×200 High School Boys Class 11

7:54 p.m: 4×200 High School Boys Class 111

8:00p.m: 4×200 High School Boys Class 1V

8:06 p.m: 4×200 All Age & Junior High Boys

8:12 p.m: 4×200 All Age & Junior High Girls

8:20 p.m: 4x400M Institution Men

8:28 p.m: 4x100M Institution Men Championships

8:38 pm: 4×400 High School Girls Open Championship

8:48 p.m: 4×400 High School Boys Open Championship

SOURCE: Jamaica Gleaner

 

Usain Bolt is our key brand asset — Puma

Posted by Yardie Luke on December 3, 2010 under Jamaica Sports | Comments are off for this article

GLOBAL athletics brand Puma listed Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt as its key brand-asset amidst a 16 per cent rise in sales to 784 million euros over the third-quarter.

The German-based brand described the new three-year contract with Bolt as the most important event in its quarter behind its financials. It even ranked it above a multi-million full take-over of a joint-venture in China and Hong Kong and also irregularities discovered at a second joint-venture in Greece, according to its latest financials.

“Usain Bolt remains a long-term brand asset for Puma,” stated the first page of the financials which incidentally had a life-sized photo of Bolt on its cover.

Puma’s intangible fixed-assets (with a non-defined useful life) had an opening balance of €70 million on January 2009 and closing balance of €26 million at December 2009.

The contract signed for an undisclosed sum in August represents, according to Puma, the largest sponsorship contract by a track and field athlete to date. It follows the estimated eight-figure Nike contract received by US sprinter Carl Lewis. Bolt, the two-time world record holder and triple World and Olympic champion entered the Puma contract in 2003 which runs until 2013.

Over the third-quarter, Puma’s net profit jumped 14 per cent to €77 million; its gross profit margin remained at 50 per cent; operating result before special items improved 5.3 per cent to €113 million; whilst earning per share rose from €4.50 to €5.16.

It isn’t the first time that Puma has lauded the value of Bolt to its investors. In its 2009 annual report Puma indicated that the performance of “Bolt at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin, where he broke the 100m and 200m world records, proved to be a particular highlight for the Puma brand”.

Puma views its brand image as key to its marketing of apparel, clothing and footwear.

“The brand image is essential since it can influence consumer behaviour not only to the advantage, but also to the disadvantage, of the brand,” it stated in its financials.

SOURCE: Jamaica Observer

IAAF issues six-month ban for Shelly-Ann Fraser

Posted by Yardie Luke on October 7, 2010 under Jamaica Sports | Comments are off for this article

WORLD and Olympic 100-metre champion Shelly Ann Fraser has been banned for six months by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) after testing positive for the prohibited substance Oxycodone at an athletics meeting in Shanghai, China on May 23.

Fraser, who has been provisionally suspended since June, will not return to competition until January 7, 2011.

The announcement of Fraser’s suspension brings to an end the saga which began four months ago when news of her positive doping test for the substance, listed as a strong narcotic, broke.

Bruce James, the president of Fraser’s club, MVP, said she took the substance given to her by coach Stephen Francis, for pain relief after undergoing a dental procedure in Jamaica prior to travelling to China. However, she failed to declare it, which IAAF rules stipulate.

A three-member Doping Review Board comprising retired head of the judiciary, former chief justice Lensley Wolfe, lawyer and former minister of national security and justice and ex-attorney general Winston Spaulding, and consultant psychiatrist Aggrey Irons, initially met and decided that exceptional special circumstances applied in Fraser’s case and recommended to the sport’s world governing body that in accordance with IAAF rule 38.19, the athlete receive less than the two-year sanction applicable in the case of a first offence.

Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA) Doping Board member Dr Warren Blake told the Observer he had received no indication that either the athlete, the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA), or the IAAF had any intention of appealing the decision.

“We’re satisfied considering that it could be more because the fact that the IAAF agreed that she could have had a reduced sanction did not indicate how far the reduction could have been… I think it’s fair punishment,” Blake added.

James told the Observer yesterday that Fraser, who has been back in training for several weeks now, does not plan to appeal the sanction. SOURCE: Jamaica Observer

Cricket: Usain Bolt hit a six & a four against Gayle’s XI

Posted by Yardie Luke on October 3, 2010 under Jamaica Sports | Comments are off for this article

DESPITE several passing showers of rain, a good-sized crowd of supporters were treated to entertaining cricket, music and frolic in the Chris Gayle 15/15 Pro Cricket Festival at the Port Rhoades Sports Club in Discovery Bay, St Ann yesterday.

Usain Bolt’s XI beat Gayle’s XI on a faster run-rate in the feature match of the day after light rain made underfoot conditions extremely slippery.

Batting first, Bolt’s XI racked up 93-3 off eight overs, thanks to Xavier Marshall’s 25 not out, Kieron Pollard’s 25 and Dwayne Bravo’s 21, while Bolt swatted a six and a four in his 13 before top-edging a simple catch off the bowling of Wavell Hinds.

Chasing 94 for victory, Gayle saw off the bowling of Bolt before spanking 33 in his team’s 59-6 off seven overs.

Gayle’s demise was brought about by the sprint combination of Yohan Blake and Bolt, when the tall left-hander mistimed a backfoot drive off Blake to Bolt at mid-off.

In the opening game, St Ann defeated St Elizabeth on a faster run-rate. St Ann reached 58-3 off seven overs and two balls in their chase of 75 when the rains came.

Batting first St Elizabeth had made 74-4 off 10 overs. SOURCE: Jamaica Observer

Bolt to launch own drink in Australia on Tuesday

Posted by Yardie Luke on September 11, 2010 under Jamaica Sports | Comments are off for this article

Usain Bolt is set to arrive in Australia on Tuesday to launch his very own sports drink: Gatorade Bolt Lemon Ice.

The beverage is the latest addition to the Gatorade line of sports drinks and has been available in Australia since mid-August.

Inspired by the charismatic world’s fastest man, Gatorade Bolt Lemon Ice contains a six-per cent carbohydrate blend that helps speed fluid back into the body and fuel working muscles. The drink is the same formula as other Gatorade drinks and delivers the same benefits, the only difference being the new flavour, Lemon Ice.

“I’m happy that Gatorade is bringing me to Australia for my first visit Down Under,” said Bolt, who just recently returned home from the United Kingdom where he spent the last couple of weeks promoting his book – Usain Bolt My Story: 9.58 Being the World’s Fastest Man.

“I’ve been using Gatorade sports drinks since 2008 and I am really honoured that they have now named their latest product after me,” Bolt said.

Initial sales of the drink in Australia have been strong but, at present, Gatorade says they have no plans to release the drink elsewhere.

While in Australia, Bolt will be working with the fastest men in football, helping them compete at their full potential, as well as giving them tips on hydration. He will also be donating to them bottles of Gatorade Bolt Lemon Ice.

In Australia, the entire Gatorade range, including Gatorade Bolt Lemon Ice, is used and endorsed by the Australian Institute of Sports, Victorian Institute of Sports and Sports Dieticians Australia. SOURCE

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